I had done some babysitting off and on, but mainly with older children. I did babysit for a family who used cloth diapers and that was a fun experience trying to get the pin in without poking the poor kiddo. Then when I stood him up...yeah...the diaper didn't stay on.
The whole baby thing? It was completely foreign to me. Diapers, clothing a
You can plan for baby until you're blue *or pink* in the face, but life tends to throw curve balls at you left and right.
I'm going to have my baby the 'right' way and I'm totally having an epidural.
Nope! Guess again! Your baby is breech and you'll be having a c-section.
I'm going to nurse my baby. This breast feeding thing is a piece of cake, right?
Nope! Guess again! Here's a bottle for your baby.
I think when you get used to things not following your 'plan', you start to just let go a little. Or at least, I did. I let my kid get dirty. I wasn't overly protective.
A few years passed and it was time to potty train. Yet another fun adventure in the life of a mom. You can get advice from other people, but often...you just wing it. And somewhere in the process, you end up being pregnant with baby #2.
By the time you have baby #2, you feel very much like a pro. You've been there and done that already. You know what to expect. For me, I knew that another c-section was on my horizon. I was going to give breast feeding another go. I was prepared this time!
Some things seem easier with baby #2. Potty training? Far easier with #2 than with #1.
Then at some point, you decide to have #3. While you were sick with #2...you're beyond sick with #3. Doctor visits, hospital stays, home hydration...OH MY! I already knew a c-section was again in the wings. Again...old hat. I pulled out the punches and went cloth diapers with #3. We tried breast feeding again and well...it wasn't meant to be.
Along the way, you tweak things. You try things and when it doesn't work...you try something else. You use mom-tuition. You care for your babies. You'd do just about anything for them. You read to them, you sing to them, you teach them to recognize their name, recognize their colors, count, pick up, help around the house, and nurture them in every way.
Cora. She loved to help her momma. She liked to dump the laundry soap in the washing machine. She like to push the drawer in on the washing machine. She liked to push the start button on the washing machine. She wanted to take the
By the time you've had #3, you have been outnumbered for several years. Life seems to just carry on. You feed them nutritious meals, wash their clothes, take them outside to play...you know...all of those 'typical' life things for children.
And just by doing what you feel is right for your children, people say that you're a good mom. As a part of being a 'good mom', you also think that you have somehow ruined them for life.
Then when life hands you a round that is far from expected, you lose all sense of self. You question everything about who you are and how you are raising your children. You question your very core. And yet, life moves on. Your children continue to grow. You continue to get up every day only to muddle through new experiences with your older children...wishing that they might revert back to being less mouthy and more like the
When all is said and done...you pick up the pieces and learn how to glue them back together. Sometimes there is a piece missing and you learn how to pull the other pieces closer and use a bit more glue.
As a mom, that's what we are called to do.
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